Mexico: Jalisco's food products have opportunities in China

According to Zou Ming Chuan, the economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Mexico, the avocados, berries, and other food products produced in Jalisco have great opportunities to enter the Chinese market.

"So far, there are agricultural food products, electronic products, and auto parts (...) Now the Chinese government and the Mexican government are pushing so that Mexico can export more Mexican products to China."

According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), Mexican exports to China in 2016 amounted to 5.4 billion dollars, while imports amounted to 69.5 billion dollars.

Chuan Ming said the goal was to increase trade between both countries, as they both had products and services that the other requires.

"Notwithstanding the Trump factor, Mexico and China still have much to work to do to strengthen commercial relations," said the Asian official. He also said that even though Mexico and China didn't have an FTA there were minimal tariffs on certain products and some that had no export or import tariffs.

From January to November last year, Jalisco's exports to China amounted to 339.2 million dollars.

Meanwhile, imports in the same period amounted to 2,952.2 million dollars; i.e. the trade balance between Jalisco and China had a deficit of 2,613.0 million.

Given this opportunity, the agroindustrial sector of Jalisco and the Ministry of Rural Development have been working for the past two years in establishing an air bridge between Jalisco and the Chinese province of Henan to export different products, such as avocado, lime, mango, pork, berries, and tequila.

Agreement

At the signature of the cooperation agreement between the Council Coordinator of Young Entrepreneurs of Jalisco (CCEJJ) and the Chamber of Commerce and Technology Mexico-China, Chapter West, Zou Chuan Ming invited businessmen of this entity to the Canton Fair to promote their food, agriculture, and electronic products.